On Friday June 21, Executive Mayor Cllr. Gaba Thithiba ka Qhele delivered the much-anticipated State of the City Address and Budget Speech 2025/26 at a Special Council Meeting held at Dan Tloome Council Chambers, JB Marks Local Municipality.

In a statement released by the municipality this summary highlights key aspects of the budget, including its focus on service delivery, infrastructure development, community and workforce empowerment.

“The JB Marks Local Municipality, which includes Potchefstroom, has recently opened its draft Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and budget for the 2025/2026 financial year for public comment. The municipality is focusing on service delivery, infrastructure development, and community and workforce empowerment,” the statement reads.

The draft budget is open for public comment, and the municipality is emphasizing enhanced revenue collection strategies and improved service delivery, particularly in water and sanitation.

The municipality gave a more detailed breakdown of the budget:

• Focus on Service Delivery and Infrastructure:

The municipality is prioritizing service delivery, infrastructure development, and community empowerment.

• IDP and Budget Open for Comment:

The draft IDP and budget for 2025/2026 are available for public review and comment, indicating a commitment to transparency and community involvement.

• Revenue Collection Strategies:

The municipality is working on enhancing its revenue collection strategies to improve its cash flow and financial stability.

• Infrastructure Improvements:

The budget includes plans for road rehabilitation, stormwater drainage improvements, and electrification initiatives.

• Financial Stability and Governance:

The municipality’s Mid-Term Plan also includes measures for stronger financial oversight and transparency to prevent mismanagement.

The JB Marks budget is loaded with empty promises

“The DA will, through our DA Spokesperson on Finance, Wolfgang Wallhorn, write to the North West MEC of Finance, Kenetswe Mosenogi, requesting urgent intervention in the newly approved budget of JB Marks Municipality,” DA Councillor Hans-Jurie Moolman said in a statement.

This after the new budget with a deficit of R151 million was approved by the ruling political parties (ANC, PA, and EFF) despite strong objections by the DA and VF Plus.

The DA recommended that the Provincial Treasury be invited to address the discrepancy in the different interpretations of the same budget before the budget is adopted.  When this was refused, the DA abstained from voting in order to avoid giving legitimacy to the procedurally flawed budget process and proposed budget.

“This budget is based on empty promises and not on reality. The already struggling municipality simply cannot afford all the projects planned,” he continued.

“This budget is based on money that the municipality simply does not have. If there’s no money to fund these promises, the result will be more broken services, more broken promises, and a city in even worse financial shape. JB Marks needs infrastructure improvements and upgrades to address the sewer problems and the unreliable electricity and water issues.”

The current Eskom debt is at an astounding R700 million and escalates by between R70 million and R120 million each month. These figures will climb even more once the 12.7% electricity tariff increase approved by NERSA kicks in.

“The residents of JB Marks have suffered enough, and they deserve better. The DA will continue to fight for service delivery and good governance in JB Marks,” Moolman concludes.